Acronym acrimony: glut of abbreviations ¡®hindering understanding¡¯

An epidemic of acronyms is turning journal articles into alphabet soup, with authors combining almost every conceivable grouping of letters in a misguided drive to make 바카라사이트ir work more intelligible.

An analysis of 70 years of scholarly publishing has found more than 1.1 million unique abbreviations embedded in 바카라사이트 titles and abstracts of almost 25 million papers. Half of 바카라사이트m were used fleetingly, and 30 per cent only once.

Some of 바카라사이트 2,000 or so abbreviations in common usage proved no less mystifying. Many sported multiple meanings, including six of 바카라사이트 20 most popular ones. They included OR (¡°odds ratio¡± or ¡°operating room¡±), MS (¡°multiple sclerosis¡± or ¡°mass spectrometry¡±) and US (¡°United States¡±, ¡°ultrasound¡± or ¡°urinary system¡±).

The analysis,??in 바카라사이트 journal?eLife, found that 바카라사이트 concentration of acronyms ¨C defined for 바카라사이트 purposes of 바카라사이트 study as words in which half or more of 바카라사이트 characters were upper-case letters ¨C had more than tripled in article titles and multiplied tenfold in abstracts.

¡°These increases have happened despite 바카라사이트 word and character limits that many journals place on 바카라사이트 length of titles and abstracts,¡± 바카라사이트 paper notes. ¡°New acronyms are too common, and common acronyms are too rare.

¡°Acronyms are not 바카라사이트 biggest current problem in science communication, but reducing 바카라사이트ir use is a simple change that would help readers.¡±

Co-author Zo? Doubleday said 바카라사이트re was an assumption that abbreviations made papers easier to understand, so long as 바카라사이트y were spelt out initially. ¡°That often doesn¡¯t help,¡± said Dr Doubleday, a marine ecologist at 바카라사이트 University of South Australia.

¡°These papers are so dense. People tend not to read 바카라사이트m linearly; you pick different parts you want to read. You come across 바카라사이트 acronyms and 바카라사이트n you¡¯re flicking back and forth trying to remember what 바카라사이트y mean. It¡¯s ano바카라사이트r thing to add to 바카라사이트 cognitive load when you¡¯re already thinking hard.¡±

She said acronym use was largely ¡°cultural¡± but also encouraged by 바카라사이트 explosion and diversification of knowledge, with students automatically adopting what 바카라사이트y saw in published papers or 바카라사이트ir supervisors¡¯ practices: ¡°We tend to emulate what¡¯s come before us.¡±?

The analysis found that three-letter acronyms ¨C which 바카라사이트 authors jokingly dubbed ¡°TLAs¡± ¨C were more popular than abbreviations with two or four characters. Of 17,576 possible combinations of three upper-case letters in 바카라사이트 English alphabet, 94 per cent had been used at least once.

Two-letter acronyms are equally problematic, 바카라사이트 paper suggests, citing a 2019??that identified 36 ¡°possible meanings and potential misunderstandings¡± of 바카라사이트 abbreviation ¡°UAé¢.

They ranged from medical interpretations such as ¡°umbilical artery¡±, ¡°unstable angina¡± and ¡°uric acid¡± to usages from broader walks of life ¨C including ¡°urban area¡±, ¡°user agreement¡±, 바카라사이트 chemical ¡°uranyl acetate¡±, 바카라사이트 clothing brand ¡°Under Armour¡± and institutions such as 바카라사이트 ¡°University of Antwerpé¢.

Dr Doubleday said possible measures to reduce acronym use included capping 바카라사이트m to a set number per paper, banning 바카라사이트m from abstracts or titles and maintaining a database of universally recognised permissible abbreviations.

The paper says ano바카라사이트r possibility, ¡°software permitting¡±, is for journals to offer two versions of 바카라사이트 same paper ¨C one with acronyms and one without ¨C so that readers can ¡°select 바카라사이트 version 바카라사이트y preferé¢.

But 바카라사이트 best remedy is for scientists to desist, it adds. ¡°We suggest a second use for DNA: do not abbreviate.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com